Insuferable
by atinybabybird
Summary: It had been years since the two had seen each other, and both men find out very fast that some things never seem to change.
1. Chapter 1

It had been years since he had graduated from U.A., time running it's course and keeping Bakugo on a consistent and explosive path towards his life as the hero known as Ground Zero. He found himself content with the handful of friends he kept in contact with, as well as the ability to do what he wanted whenever he so desired (within reason of course). As his friends would say in his stead, Bakugo's temperament had simmered down to something that was much more tolerable- the volatile man grew along with the fuse of his personality. Sure, Bakugo had his moments, but it was nothing like it had been in the past.

That was however, until Bakugo ran into _him_ again

"No FUCKING way." Had been the first thing that slipped off his tongue the very moment he laid eyes on Todoroki Shoto- a former U.A. student and classmate of the hero.

He looked different- not so unrecognizable, but grown up. With his hair a touch longer than it had been back in the day and his features more matured- he truly looked like time had done him well. Todoroki's round face had smoothed out to a comfortable oval shape, his soft jawline slender as it pointed out to a strong chin. He was taller too- much to Bakugo's annoyance, and his stare was ever the same- stoic and still as he looked to the hero through long fanned out light lashes. Bakugo briefly wondered if Todoroki had gotten that from his mother- the way the man's presence was so soft, the way he had grown to become some _pretty_ -

NO no no no _no_. Bakugo shook his head aggressively before pointing an accusatory finger in Todoroki's direction, already sensing what was going on even before anyone else had opened their mouth.

"Like HELL you're going to partner me up with half and half- what's so difficult about this mission that I can't handle on my own, huh?!"

The other heroes around the table couldn't help but sigh- they were used to Bakugo's temper but it had not meant they enjoyed it as much as Kirishima had.

"Look-" One began, his hand extended out in what seemed to be a silent plea. "-With how explosive you are- _no pun intended_ , we thought it would do you some good to be paired with Shoto, someone who knows how to keep his cool-"

"I CAN KEEP MY COOL JUST FINE." He bellows- the other hero's looking at the man completely unimpressed by the whole charade.

"My point is thus made."

"This isn't up for discussion." Another chimes in- finality in her tone. "You two will be paired for a couple of days and I expect BOTH of you to deal with one another during that time. I don't know what kind of history you two have, but keep your personal affairs out of hero work- have I made myself clear?"

Bakugo wanted to argue desperately but she had him there, so instead, he swore under his breath and stormed out to get some air, leaving the others behind as his hands shoved into the depths of his pockets- the man grumbling this and that with every lazy stomp forward.

It was all _ridiculous_ he thought to himself, how things were playing out so poorly. He was hoping he'd seen the last of Todoroki at graduation, after all, he had been avoiding the man since 2nd year, since…

Fingers ravage his already mussed up hair, he grumbles, then lets out a defeated yell.

"AUGH FUCK" he kicks away a can in his path- there were now onlookers at this point, but Bakugo didn't give a damn. "It's just my fucking luck."

And to make matters worse, his heart was still beating five times faster since the moment he laid eyes on the fully-grown Todoroki.

His old _crush_.

Bakugo didn't like admitting it- not even to himself, but he had been pinning after Todoroki since their second year at U.A. It had at first started as simple respect- Todoroki using his ice AND fire hand in hand whenever they sparred was proof that the man was taking it all their sparring seriously, that he was letting go of his past convictions and doing what was necessary to climb to the top in U.A. How could Bakugo NOT find that rewarding? _Respect worthy_ \- after what he's been through. And he thought that was all it was, simple _wholesome_ respect.

But he was wrong, so very wrong.

Bakugo then started to find that he was unable to keep his eyes to himself whenever Todoroki was in the same room as him. Not only was that embarrassing as hell, but it was plainly annoying- and Bakugo didn't want to admit- no, he in fact flat out refused to believe he had any feelings resembling a crush for the half and half hero- it HAD to be a fluke, some kind of mistake- trick of the eye… But deep down, below his stubbornness and pride he would admit that yes, there was a flame for Todoroki that Bakugo held. And when Bakugo FINALLY caught himself catching the embers in his palm, he did what anyone would do in that situation-

He tried to douse the flames and ignore the burn, completely avoiding Todoroki at all costs. And it was simply because Bakugo couldn't do it, he couldn't be near Todoroki without his heart beating hard against his rubs, he couldn't stop his stomach from rising to the back of his throat whenever he was approached by the man (although it was rare, it did occur). And to make matters even worse, Bakugo saw it. He saw it with his own eyes.

That Todoroki carried a flame himself- but for someone else. And of all people, it had to be Deku.

It was ALWAYS Deku, he thought, it was always him that people oo'd and aw'd over, it was always him- his smile, his laugh, his _sincerity_ \- it made Bakugo sick to his stomach. Deku seemed to take everything from him- and he had taken Todoroki from right under his nose- and what made matters worse was that the idiot had no fucking clue. No, he had skated through the rest of their time at U.A. with no fucking idea that Todoroki was pinning over him just as hard as Bakugo was pining over the white and red haired man.

Bakugo punched the wall of his apartment complex, knuckles immediately beginning to bruise from the force. "Damnit." He cursed again.

"God FUCKING damnit."


	2. Chapter 2

Todoroki found himself wishing he was more surprised by Bakugo's sudden outburst, but he couldn't muster up the ability to do so- his features staying completely neutral the entire time the man had complained quite loudly that he would rather be anywhere else than in the same room as him. Sure, it wasn't the nicest greeting after years apart- but it's not as if they parted on amicable terms- in fact, they didn't really part on _any_ terms- they simply stopped coexisting when their schooling had come to an end.

In fact, Todoroki hadn't really seen much of Bakugo since their second year of high school – the volatile man doing a job well done of completely avoiding Todoroki for reasons unknown to him. For awhile he thought that it was perhaps because of something he said, but the two scarcely talked as is- no, he could make no sense of what seemed to be Bakugo's random decision to never look twice at Todoroki.

So when Todoroki was asked to partner up with the ticking time bomb, he found himself to be…. _Skeptical_. Sure, the duo would do well with the task at hand- but would they get along? After all, they would at least have to follow the bare minimum of cooperation if they were to successfully handle the villain they would be chasing after.

And after simply seeing Bakugo, feeling the odd tension in the air between them despite the fact that they were in a room full of people, made Todoroki's concerns grow. But it was too late to back out, he had already previously accepted the job - there was nothing he could do but hope that this mission would go along quickly and without too much trouble- whether that trouble came from the villain or Bakugo however, would remain undetermined.

But what really had Todoroki thinking were the years that had passed between them- how long had it been since the two had caught each other's gaze? Well, it had been quite a while- but he wasn't counting the days, no, after all, after graduation he kept on with his hero work, simply moving forward and finding ways to stay out of the city- the man focusing more on keeping the peace in small towns rather than in crowded alleyways. He preferred it that way- being somewhere quieter, somewhere much more peaceful than the boisterous city, and somewhere where his father couldn't pester him. Though he still had a space within the city, a small apartment in the quieter part of town that he came to whenever he DID find himself returning to the once familiar streets of Musutafu, his preferences remained the same as always.

But life was pretty good, so he seldom found himself complaining, if at all.

Making his way through busy streets, Todoroki found himself off running errands now that his "friendly encounter" with Bakugo was over. the two-toned man entered a small bookstore , the friendly chime of the door signaling the man behind the counter to give his best customer service smile to Todoroki- where as Todoroki merely greeted him with a the nod of his head just before shuffling away- trying desperately to avoid the typical banter between an employee and a potential buyer.

Just as he began skimming through the cookbooks that lined up neatly along the dusted shelves, he hears his ringtone ting-a-ling in his pocket. His response is at first to simply sigh, fishing it out from his back pocket and answering it without yet looking at the caller id, not even bothering to hide the bored tone to his voice

"Hello?"

"Uuh, did I catch you at a bad time?"

Todoroki blinks, then pulls his phone back away from his ear to check out the caller id- the name reading out as Midoriya Izuka.

Whoops.

"Ah no- I was just looking at a book… Did you need something…?"

Midoyia was one of the few people Todoroki had kept in contact with after graduation- not that it was due to anything he had against his other classmates, it was just simply because Midoriya harbored a special place in Todoroki's heart-

-After all, he did consider the green haired man to be one of his closest friends- and that's _all_ they were, **friends**. Sure, Todoroki's heart once belonged to Midoriya ( not that Midoryia ever found out the truth ), but that was once upon a time and Todoroki never ended up confessing his feelings- not only worried about the possibility of ruining their friendship, but also knowing the Midoryia would never see him in that light- and Todoroki was fine with that- after all, it's not as if he had much of a choice.

"Well I just wanted to know if you wanted to meet up for coffee soon? It feels like it's been awhile since we've had a chance to sit down and talk."

Todoroki nodded to himself at Midoriya's words- after all, the two were constantly being kept busy with their hero work and their own adult lives and sometimes the two just simply did not have time for one another- and sometimes it was even harder to make time.

"I should be free next week… I just got assigned more hero work-"

"Oh? Is that why you're in town?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what kind of villain you're going up against?"

"No, not yet at least… Within the next day or so I'm sure we'll figure it out-"

"'We'll?' are you partnered up with someone?"

Todoroki frowned at Midoryia's question as he slipped out a book from the shelf in front of him, scanning the cover nonchalantly before tucking it under his arm.

"Yes."

"Who? You don't seem too happy…"

"it's not that I'm upset…" Todorki sighed as he approached the register, setting the book down on the counter and pulling out his wallet. "It's just…"

"It's what?" Midoryia insisted, obviously curious.

"It's Bakugo."

"Ka-chan?!" The green haired man exclaimed, Todoroki wincing at the volume.

"Yes. And he didn't seem all that thrilled to see me."

"Well…. Ka-chan is Ka-chan." He laughs sheepishly, and it wasn't exactly the most comforting thing for Todoroki all things considered. And Midoryia seeming to just sense Todoroki's concern, switches gears, putting on a much more positive attitude.

"I-I'm sure it'll be fine…"

"Right…"

But Todoroki had a sneaking suspicion that feigning optimism would do him little good.

"W-well I gotta go!" Midoryia suddenly announces, clearly uncertain of how to carry the conversation on anymore. Todoroki couldn't help but smile and shake his head from side to side. It was just like Midoryia to bail when things got too awkward.

"Alright. I'll be able to give you a proper date on when we can see each other in the next couple days."

"Ah- okay!" There's obvious relief in his tone now that the conversation has been shifted. "I'll see you then, bye!"

"Mmm. Bye."

And with that the phone call ends, Todoroki purchases his book, and he's off to his apartment. He wish he knew what the next week or so would bring him now that Bakugo was in his life again- or at least, was in his life for the time being, but whenever it concerned Bakugo, Todoroki knew better than to try and predict anything.

After all, Bakugo always had something up his sleeve.


End file.
